After days of anticipation and preparation the big annual event has arrived.

For some, Thanksgiving is only a precursor for Black Friday and the beginning of the holiday shopping season. The event has become synonymous with crowded malls, long lines, scarce parking and pressure to find the perfect gifts, as well as occasional incidents of violence.

In 2011, fights, shootings and a pepper spray incident marred Black Friday in some parts of the country. Such yearly news accounts have made Black Friday violence as much a part of Thanksgiving as turkey and football.

But in Chatham County, officials have taken precautions to discourage and prevent so-called shopping rage.

Savannah-Chatham police Cpl. John Simmons said the early morning hours of Black Friday have remained a fairly peaceful time in recent years, even though its not unusual for 250 shoppers to camp outside an electronics store overnight.

“The midnight problems are usually very seldom,” said Simmons, a 23-year police veteran.

“After that initial rush it dies off pretty quickly and about 9 a.m. (Friday) is when you see a large surge of people coming in.”

Simmons is based at the police department’s Southside precinct at Oglethorpe Mall. The precinct has a total of 65 officers who cover approximately 74 square miles that encompass most of the county’s commercial areas, including Savannah Mall and Twelve Oaks shopping center.

Since Monday, the precinct has been implementing its Jingle Bell operation that uses three extra police officers to patrol each of its six regular beats, especially around the bulk of Savannah’s shopping districts along Abercorn Street. Normally, the beat is assigned 15 officers.

“It allows the normal beat officer to move further away to handle the occasional car accident, shoplifting or anything going on,” Simmons said. “On Black Friday, the group expands to six people from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and then 4 to 10 p.m.”

Jingle Bell will remain in effect until Jan. 1, according to police.

Among general safety tips, Simmons advises shoppers to not leave gifts or valuable items visibly inside vehicles. He also suggests using a buddy system while shopping to keep an extra pair of eyes open to suspicious activity. To avoid financial transaction card theft or identity theft, shoppers should shred receipts at home, he said.

For the most part, arguments over parking spaces and minor disagreements among shoppers regarding limited products are the most common Black Friday offenses, Simmons said. Police increase patrols this time of the year, especially in parking lots.

“We’ve been fortunate the last few years that we have reduced entering autos around the shopping districts in the holiday season to almost none existence,” said Simmons.

“In 2010, we went the whole season with none. That’s based on public awareness and perception. We’ve been trying to insist they don’t make multiple trips to their cars with multiple packages, store them and then go back to shopping because your trunk and back seat will fill. People out for no good will notice.”

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Debbie Wishon said the company works with local police and fire marshals to tailor individual safety plans for each of its 4,000 stores across the country. The company will kick off its in-store specials this year at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.

“We’ve developed proven crowd control management techniques that are especially needed in a retail setting,” she said. “We have very safe plans. The safety of our customers and associates is our top priority.”

Target announced that it will start its Black Friday sale at 9 p.m. Thursday, with additional sales beginning at 4 a.m. Friday.

Spokeswoman Jessica Stevens said in an email that Target stores maintain a 10-foot buffer zone between a store entrance and beginning of a line. Metering – a process to allow periodic breaks in customers entering a store – is implemented to keep pathways clear, she said. In addition, she said, employees receive crowd management training and some use mobile devices, such as Segways, to increase their visibility.

“We take a multi-layered approach to security, including technology, team member training and partnerships with law enforcement,” said Stevens. “Throughout the holiday season, we have a great plan in place to ensure a safe shopping and working environment for our guests and team members.”

Simmons said police remain in contact with business owners and neighborhood watch groups during the holiday season to keep them informed and to address safety concerns.

Due at least in part to longer store hours, commercial break-ins tend to drop during the holidays, Simmons said. On the other hand, he said residents who keep Christmas presents and other valuable items within plain sight inside their residences often become easy targets and should avoid doing so.